Jr. Lizards get 4A-4 winCourier sports staff FORT SMITH — The Dardanelle Junior Sand Lizards won their 4A-4 Conference opener against Fort Smith Trinity by a score of 43-32. Dardanelle (4-3, 1-0) trailed 8-3 after the first quarter but took a 15-13 lead at halftime. The Junior Sand Lizards outscored Trinity 17-6 in the third quarter to widen the spread. “We really turned it up tonight,” Dardanelle head coach Jared White said. “We did a good job of taking care of the ...

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Lady Gators seek championship seasonOLA — Two Rivers Lady Gators head coach Lyn Alexander knows a little luck, skill and a lot of hard work can take you places. Eight unbeaten games into the 2015-16 season, Two Rivers is seeing the result of all three. The Lady Gators will compete in an out-of-state invite-only tournament this week after winning their own Two Rivers Invite on Saturday and staying perfect at eight consecutive wins. Two Rivers was already planning to build on the ...

Lady Whirlwinds vanquish ConwayCONWAY — The Russellville Lady Whirlwinds defeated the Conway White Lady Wampus Cats 38-22 on Monday. Russellville (4-3) led 11-4 after the first quarter and 16-5 at halftime. Conway added 10 more points in the third quarter, but the Lady Whirlwinds widened the score to 28-15. “I was very proud of how we bounced back after three tough losses,” Russellville head coach Chase White said. “We played great defense, hit some open shots and took care...

RJHS falls to ConwayCourier sports staff CONWAY — The Russellville Whirlwinds were defeated 42-31 by the Conway White Junior Wampus Cats on Monday. “We shot a very low percentage from the field,” Russellville head coach Matt Howerton said. “We missed several shots right at the rim. We struggled executing in a lot of areas. The coaching needs to improve that soon.” The Whirlwinds trailed 11-6 after the first quarter and 17-10 at halftime. After the third quarter, ...

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Hector sweeps round oneCONWAY — The Hector Lady Wildcats won their first round game in the Conway Christian Tournament against Western Grove by a score of 62-44. Hector led 17-12 after the first quarter and 29-16 at halftime. After the third quarter, the score was 45-27. The Lady Wildcats were led in scoring by Darci Fountain with 14 points. Avery Williams had 12 points. Lakin Stanek had 11 points. Paige Lee and Emily Mathis scored six points each. Western Grove was...

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Apaches defeat MenaPOTTSVILLE — The Apaches defeated the Mena Bearcats 61-32 in the Tyson Classic on Saturday inside George Jones Gymnasium. The Apaches (4-1) led 18-10 after the first quarter and established a 35-17 at halftime. Pottsville led 47-28 after the third quarter. “The energy was great tonight on the defensive end,” Apaches head coach Shane Thurman said. “That got everything started.” Pottsville was led in scoring by Josh Dugger with 13 points. Peyton...

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Wonder Boys survive Crimson StormOn a tough offensive night for the Wonder Boys, Marquis Yates came up big with a big 23 point performance and Freddy Lee knocked down a huge three-pointer late in the contest to help Arkansas Tech pull away with a 66-53 victory over Southern Nazarene Saturday afternoon in Tucker Coliseum. How it happened The Wonder Boys got off to a slow start defensively as the Crimson Storm jumped out to a 10-6 lead after the first media timeout by convertin...

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Sand Lizards win Two Rivers inviteOLA — The Dardanelle Sand Lizards won the Two Rivers Invitational on Saturday with a 54-44 win over the Bigelow Panthers. Dardanelle led 18-4 after the first quarter and 26-14 at halftime. After the third quarter, the Sand Lizards were up 39-31. “We are very happy we were able to win the tournament,” Dardanelle head coach Russell Sturdivant said. “We beat a very sound Bigelow basketball team that does a lot of things right.’ The Sand Lizards w...

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Lady Cyclones move to 3-0BY TRAVIS SIMPSON sports@couriernews.com MORRILTON — Shameka Ealy’s double-double (24 points, 13 rebounds) helped the Russellville Cyclones distance themselves from the Wonderview Lady Daredevils 52-44 on Monday in the first round of the eighth annual Northwestern Modern Woodsman Invitational Tournament. The Lady Cyclones (3-0) trailed 23-21 at halftime after embarking on a 6-0 run in the second quarter with shots falling from Ealy and Bailey ...

RHS wrestling competes in Central Arkansas ClassicLITTLE ROCK — The Russellville Cyclones wrestling team recently competed in the Central Arkansas Classic in North Little Rock. Carlos Sosa (3-2) placed third in the 126 weight division with a two wins over Catholic’s Jeb Epson by fall in 5:50 and 3:47 and a win over Searcy’s Chris Rucker by fall in 3:16. Sosa fell to Mountain Home’s Seth Morgavan 10-5 by decision. Michael Ritchie (5-1) placed third in the 138 weight division with wins over Bry...

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Dunks help spur Cyclones over MorriltonMORRILTON — Four dunks? Why not. The Russellville Cyclones defeated the Morrilton Devil Dogs 69-61 in a game that featured four slam dunks — two from each team on Friday at Devil Dog Gymnasium. The Cyclones (2-0) slipped behind the Devil Dogs 35-34 in the first half. The first dunk came midway through the first quarter when Marquis Rhode’s one-hander went through the hoop. Morrilton hit the second one and ignited Devil Dog Gymnasium to put the...

Wonder Boys win Heart of Texas BowlArkansas Tech University completed one of the most successful seasons in the history of its football program on Saturday night with a 51-35 win over Eastern New Mexico University in the 2015 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl at Bulldawg Stadium in Copperas Cove, Texas. The Wonder Boys (9-3) rolled up 620 yards of total offense while earning their first bowl victory and their first postseason win away from home since the 1957 Rice Bowl. With the...

Red Devils win by 10 against DardanelleATKINS — The Atkins Red Devils shocked the Dardanelle Sand Lizards 48-38 on Friday inside Red Devil Gymnasium. Dardanelle led 16-8 after the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime but were held to just three points in the third quarter. Atkins led 33-29 after the third quarter and outscored Dardanelle 18-11 in the fourth to secure the victory. “Atkins brought their ‘A’ game tonight and the Sand Lizards did not,” Dardanelle head coach Russell Stur...

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Hector beats Quitman 50-45HECTOR — The Hector Wildcats basketball team defeated the Quitman Bulldogs 50-45 on Friday at the Hector Multi-Purpose Building. Hector trailed 10-3 at the end of the first quarter but took a 22-20 lead at halftime. After the third quarter, the Wildcats were up 37-29. Hector was led in scoring by Tanner Gaines with 13. Jaden Graham scored nine points. Dalton Day scored seven points. Wyatt Reid had six points. Brett Gray scored five points. Qui...

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Apaches win at Tyson ClassicPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Apaches opened the Tyson Classic with a 50-39 win over Star City on Friday inside George Jones Gymnasium. Pottsville (3-1) trailed 8-9 at the end of the first quarter but took a 20-17 lead at halftime. At the end of the third quarter, the Apaches were up 39-23. “It was great to start the Tyson Classic with a hard-fought win,” Pottsville head coach Shane Thurman said. “The boys played really hard. We struggled to sco...

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Sand Lizards advance in TR inviteOLA — The Dardanelle Sand Lizards defeated Bergman 66-55 in the first round of the Two Rivers Invitational on Monday. Dardanelle established a 24-14 lead after the first quarter and made it 43-26 at halftime. The Sand Lizards extended their lead to 58-38 after the third quarter. “We were glad to get a win in the first round of the tournament,” Dardanelle head coach Russell Sturdivant said. “We didn’t finish the game the way I would have liked,...

Whirlwinds take 51-30 win over ConwayBY TRAVIS SIMPSON sports@couriernews.com The Russellville Whirlwinds defeated the Conway Blue Junior Wampus Cats 51-30 on Monday inside Whirlwind Gymnasium. “This was the best effort of the year,” Russellville (3-2) head coach Matt Howerton said. “Kids were diving on the floor for loose balls and sharing the basketball. They are starting to get what we’re trying to teach.” Russellville took a 14-9 lead in the first quarter and a 26-17 lead at ...

RHS Cyclones sweep ViloniaVILONIA — The Russellville Cyclones overpowered the Vilonia Eagles 62-26 on Tuesday — and it wasn’t even close. Vilonia didn’t score a field goal until the 5:52 mark of the second quarter. The Eagles hit a pair of free throws with 7:49 in the second, but Russellville scored 19 unanswered points in the first quarter. Who did the scoring? Just about everyone. Jacob Boles opened with an old-fashioned three-point play. K.J. Patrick hit a pair of p...

Hat trick for Cyclones Soccer?Russellville High School Cyclones Boys Soccer head coach Jared Fuller is already preparing to defend the Cyclone’s back-to-back class 6A state championships. Fuller led the Cyclones to a state championship title against Greenwood in 2014. The Cyclones returned in their 2015 season to win the championship against Siloam Springs. “In the first year, we won it in penalty kicks during overtime,” Fuller said. “This last year, it was during normal p...